Amaechi alleges denial of fair hearing in $50m fraud case

Former Minister of Transportation and past Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, has said that he was not given fair hearing on the state committee report that alleged he and six others embezzled $50 million in his administration. He spoke in Port Harcourt, weekend, while fielding questions from newsmen during his homecoming after the presidential primary of the APC. He said that the issues of his alleged involvement in fraud was subjudice emphasised that the Rivers State government did not follow due diligence in complying to the tenet of the law in setting up a panel of enquiry. Amaechi said that the panel ought to have sent its findings to the investigative institutions to invite him to hear his side of the story before proceeding to court, reiterating that the police have still not extend any invitation to him . 

He said “I hope that the Rivers State governor has good lawyers because the Supreme Court said in their judgement, that he has powers to set up a panel and their work was to gather information concerning our dealings while in government and after they had finished gathering the information, they would pass the information to either ICPC, the Police or EFCC.  The police has not invited me, neither ICPC nor EFCC. There is what we call fair hearing. It is that part when they invite me there would be fair hearing. They have not heard my own side if the story and they went to court to do what? Something must be giving him confidence,” He said that the Supreme Court in her judgement had ruled that before the Rivers government approached the court they must send the outcome of the panel to the investigating authorities, adding that such move would have been taken before the legal process.